Sorting device



United States Patent SORTING DEVICE Charles H. Fox, Jr., Chicago, 111., assignor to Union Carbide Corporation, a corporation of New York Application October 28, 1957, Serial No. 692,968 10 Claims. (Cl. 198-33) This invention relates to means for sorting objects having tapered ends and, more particularly, concerns imp'roved'means for sorting phonograph needles in a needle conveying system.

One of the important difi'icul-ties in the conveying of phonograph needles from one processing station to another is the orientation of the needles so they point in the same direction. Such orientation is a necessity for feeding needles to automatic mounting and staking machines or for further grinding operations. Needles entering a processing station with improper orientation must either be turned around or removed. This has most commonly been accomplished by manual means. Obviously, this system has not only proved expensive and inefiicient but has also proved difiicult because of the small size of the needles. Further, manual handling of the needles may result in damage to the surface of the needles and consequent impairment of function. For these and other reasons it becomes increasingly important to provide more effective means for supplying these needles in proper orientation to a processing station.

' It is, therefore, an important object of the present invention to provide novel means for removing from a needle conveying system those needles not in proper orientation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide in a conveying trough for longitudinally advancing therealong a series of needles, a novel sorting device comprising a barrier and a cut-out portion in the trough which cooperate to remove incorrectly positioned needles from the trough without interfering with the progression of correctly positioned needles.

Another object is to provide in a conveying system for needles each having a tapered end and a butt end, a novel needle sorting apparatus comprising barrier means for selectively removing to an outlet those needles having their butt ends pointing forward, while allowing the remaining needles to progress past said barrier means.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

- Figure 1 is a front elevationview of an illustrative apparatus embodying the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary top view of a portion of the apparatus shown in Figure 1 showing important details thereof;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 illustrates the manner in which a needle arriving point-first at a low barrier will tend to override the barrier;

Figure 5 illustrates the manner in which a needle arriving butt-first at a low barrier will be restrained.

Shown in Figure l is an illustrative sorting device embodying the principles of the present invention comprising a hopper 2 for feeding tapered articles into conveying trough 4. The troughs 4 and 5 are longitudinally arranged in abutting relationship and suitably inclined, preferably slightly downward, to facilitate the progress of the articles therealong, which when viewed in Figure 1 move from right to left. The troughs are preferably V-shaped although other suitably shaped troughs may be employed if so desired. The troughs may also be inclined upward since vibratory motion, as well as conveying means disclosed later below, will carry articles uphill.

For simplicity, the invention will be described in connection with the conveying and sorting of phonograph needles having a tapered end and a flat surface, or butt end. However, it is to be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited thereto but rather is susceptible of application in the sorting of other and different articles.

In accordance with the present invention a novel type sorting device is utilized for removing incorrectly positioned needles from a conveying trough. Needles which advance along the trough with their flat end surfaces first are guided into an outlet in the side of the trough While needles which are correctly positioned are allowed to proceed. As a means for selectively removing incorrectly positioned needles, the adjoining ends of troughs 4 and 5 are complementarily biased along lines 4a and 511, respectively, as clearly shown in Figure 2 and slightly displaced out of longitudinal alignment with each other. In this manner the end of trough 5 constitutes a barrier 8 (see Figure 3) in the path of the needles. A cutout portion 10 is provided in the side of the trough, the cutout 10 having a lip 7 spaced from and parallel to the apex of the trough and terminating at the extremity of the trough 4 adjacent the barrier end 8 of trough 5. One or more agitators or vibrators 6, or other suitable means, are operatively connected to the troughs 4 and 5 to drive the needles in the direction indicated in Fig ure 1.

In operation, needles 9 advancing point-first will override the barrier 8 as shown in Figure 4 and continue along the trough 5. As indicated by Figure 5, needles 11 advancing butt-first will be unable to pass the barrier 8 and, as a result of that component of the driving force which is parallel to the barrier 8, Will be movably guided along said barrier and through the cutout portion 10 where they may be deposited in a suitable container 12 or rerouted. The barrier should, of course, be low enough to permit those needles arriving with their tapered ends forward to override it, and yet be high enough to prevent those needles having their butt ends forward from jumping the barrier. A barrier height of approximately one-fourth the needle diameter has been found to be most satisfactory. When troughs are used, this barrier height is measured normal to the sides of the troughs. For the best results, the bias angle of the barrier 8 with respect to the longitudinal axis of the trough 4 should be between 30 and 60.

When constructed in the foregoing manner, the sorter 1 of the invention has proven itself capable of sorting needles as small as .016 inch diameter and .055 inch long with an efliciency of i.e., 95 of the needles leaving the sorter 1 and continuing along the trough 5 being correctly oriented. By using two or more barriers in series, the efliciency of the sorter may be made to approximate The barrier described in the preceding disclosure may be formed in other ways than by an offset abutment of the ends of two troughs-it could, for example, be formed by the addition of a low block or strip inserted in a single trough. In place of a trough for conveying the articles to be sorted, other means such as tubes, traveling belts,

and rollers could be used. In place of a vibratory feeder, fluid how both liquid or gaseous, could be used to force the articles along or through the conveying means. Various other modifications may be made in the. construction and details of the apparatus without departing from the scope or principle of the invention and I do not, therefore, limit myself to the details of the construction as shown and described.

I claim:

1. A sorting device comprising a trough-like conduit, a biased offset in said conduit forming therein a biased barrier, an outlet in said conduit adjacent one end of said barrier whereby needles proceeding along said conduit with their pointed ends first will override said barr-ier and proceed along said conduit and needles proceeding with their fiat end surfaces first will be urged along said biased barrier toward said outlet.

2. A sorting device for needles each having a flat end surface and a pointed end surface comprising a trough-like conduit for longitudinally sequentially conveying said needles therealong, a biased offset in said conduit constituting therein a biased barrier, an outlet in said conduit adjacent one end of said barrier and means for motivating said needles along said conduit whereby needles proceeding along said conduit with their pointed ends first will override said barrier and proceed along said conduit and needles proceeding with their flat end surfaces first will be urged along said biased barrier toward said outlet.

3. A sorter for elongated objects each having a tapered end and a blunt end comprising an elongated trough adapted to longitudinally conduct said objects therealong, a cut-out portion in said trough, a barrier in said trough so disposed as to selectively divert along said barrier and through said cutout, each of said objects having its blunt end foremost, while allowing each of said objects arriving at said barrier with its tapered end foremost to override said barrier.

4. A sorter for elongated objects each having a tapered end and a blunt end comprising an elongated trough adapted to longitudinally conduct said objects therealong, a cut-out portion in said trough, a barrier in said trough extending from the centerline thereof obliquely to said cut-outportion and so disposed as to selectively divert along said barrier and through said cutout, each of said objects having its blunt end foremost, while allowing each of said objects arriving at said barrier with its tapered end foremost to override said barrier.

5. A sorter for elongated objects each having a tapered end and a, blunt end comprising an elongated trough adapted to longitudinally conduct said objects therealong, a cut-out portion in said trough, a barrier in said trough extending from the centerline thereof to said cut-out portion forming. an angle with the centerline of said trough between 30 and 60 and so disposed as to selectively divert along said barrier and through said. cutout each of said objects having its blunt end foremost whereas each of said objects arriving at said barrier having its tapered end foremost will override said barriers 6. A sorter for elongated objects each; having a tapered end and a blunt end comprising an elongated V-shaped.

d trough adapted to longitudinally conduct said objects therealong, a cut-out portion. in the side of said trough, a barrier in said trough extending from the centerline thereof to said cut-out portion forming an angle with said centerline between 30 and 60, and so disposed as to selectively divert along said barrier and through said cutout, each of said objects having its blunt end foremost, whereas each of said objects arriving at said barrier having its tapered end foremost will override said barrier.

7. A sorter for elongated objects each having a tapered end and a blunt end comprising an elongated trough substantially V-shaped in cross-section adapted to longitudinally conduct said objects therealong, a cut-out portion in at least one side of said. trough, a barrier in said trough extending from the centerline thereof to said cutout portion and so disposed as to selectively divert along said barrier and through said cutout, each of said objects having its blunt end foremost, said. barrier having a height such that the point of each of said objects arriving at said barrier having its tapered end foremost will override said barrier.

8. A sorter for elongated objects each having a tapered end and a blunt end comprising a first substantially V-sha-ped trough and a second substantially V-shaped trough, said first trough having a receiving end adapted to receive said elongated objects, a biased discharge end, and a cut-out portion inadjoining relation to said discharge end, said second trough having a receiving. end substantially parallel to said discharge end of said first trough and in offset abutment thereto, thereby forming a barrier so disposed asto divert along. said barrier and through said cutout each of said objects arriving atsaid barrier with: its blunt end foremost. while permitting each of said objectsarriving at said barrier tapered end foremost to override said barrier and continue along said second trough.

9. A. device for sorting articles having pointed andblunt ends comprising a conduit, a barrier in said conduit, an outlet in' said conduit adjacent saidbarrier whereby said articles proceeding along. said conduit with their pointed ends first will override said barrier and proceed along said conduit and said articles having blunt ends first will be stopped by said barrier and removed from said conduit through said outlet.

. 1.0.. A- device for sorting articles having pointed and blunt ends comprising a conduit, a biased barrier in said conduit, an outlet in said conduit adjacent one end of said barrier whereby said articles proceeding along said conduit with their pointed ends first will override said barrier and proceed along said conduit and said articles having blunt ends first will be stopped by said barrier andurgedalong said biased barrier toward said outlet for removalfrom said conduit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNLTED' STATES PATENTS 635,58-8 l 'ondorf Oct. 24 T8 98 1,874,442 Calloway Aug. 30; 1932' FOREIGN PATENTS 586,042, Germany Oct. 1 7, L933 

